


Considerate

by orphan_account



Series: Fill the Void [25]
Category: Funhaus (Video Blogging RPF), Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:46:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23530288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: He leans down and looks in the cat carrier. Stumpy, just a large black cat that Adam couldn’t say no to when he first met him, stares back at him. “You’re a bastard, you know that?”“Oh, I’m sorry! Didn’t mean to rub off on you like that.”---Adam meets Elyse at the vet's and seems to keep running into her.
Relationships: Adam Kovic/Elyse Willems
Series: Fill the Void [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1663750
Kudos: 12





	Considerate

Stumpy’s hissing at him something fierce from within the cat carrier. He’s been growling at everyone and everything passing by while Adam sits and waits in the vet’s office. Stumpy’s always been a grumpy cat. Adam can only assume he’s still bitter because he lost a chunk of his tail when he was still a kitten. Probably to a raccoon, but Adam will never know. What he knows now, though, is that Stumpy isn’t eating well. Probably has some sort of stomach virus and needs some medication to help flush it out. Either way, he didn’t expect his Saturday morning to turn out like this.

He leans down and looks in the cat carrier. Stumpy, just a large black cat that Adam couldn’t say no to when he first met him, stares back at him. “You’re a bastard, you know that?”

“Oh, I’m sorry! Didn’t mean to rub off on you like that.”

The voice makes Adam startle. He looks up and sees that a small, blonde woman has sat down across from him. There’s some crossbreed dog sitting at her feet with its head on her knees, looking up at her balefully.

He’s so caught off guard by her smile, something sweet and inviting that his tongue feels thick and it takes a moment for him to come up with something to say. “Just … the cat, he’s …”

“Oh, I’m just joshing ya!” she says. “I didn’t expect to see this place so busy this morning and now I’m just trying to fill the time by harassing the other people here I guess. I’m Elyse, by the way. And this loveable guy here is Benson.” She looks down at the dog and rubs his head fondly. His bushy tail wags across the ground. Then she looks up and she looks expecting and, oh, she wants Adam’s name. A normal human interaction. Exchanging of names. _God._ Why can’t he get it together?

“Stumpy,” he says and then winces. “The cat. Stumpy is my cat. I’m Adam.”

But Elyse takes his stumbles in stride. “Why Stumpy?” she asks.

“Got half a tail.”

“Awww. The poor guy.”

“He doesn’t need it. He’s tough. Nine lives and all.”

“Still. I bet he’s still a softie on the inside.” And then she moves forward, gets down on her knees and looks into the carrier. And for once, Stumpy doesn’t hiss or growl. From what Adam can see, he actually cranes his neck out to sniff at Elyse before curling up into the miserable ball he has been since Adam stuffed him in the carrier. “He seems like a sweetheart. Prickly I bet.”

Adam nods along, doesn’t trust himself with any words because he’s pretty good with shooting himself in the foot. “He’s good,” he settles on as Elyse sits back with Benson.

She smiles at him, and Adam can’t help but look away. He’s never been great with people. Especially not on a first meeting like this. He gets too caught up in the way he looks, the way he sounds, if he’s doing anything right. What do they think about him? Is it negative? Positive? His social anxieties flare at the worst moments, but he does like Elyse despite his own internal issues. She makes interaction easy. She takes charge and Adam just has to follow her lead. And they’ve only known each other for a few moments.

“Adam Kovic? We can take you back now.”

“That’s, that’s me,” he says, standing quickly and taking the cat carrier with him.

“Nice talking to you, Adam Kovic!” Elyse says, waving her fingers a bit as he goes.

* * *

Adam is a cat person. Stumpy requires less attention than a dog and he’s relatively good on his own, coming to Adam when he least expects it to jump on his lap and take up all his attention. After he clears up from the stomach virus or whatever it was, he’s back to his regular, annoying self. Running down the halls when Adam’s trying to sleep. Yowling at him even though he’s just been fed. An all around nuisance that Adam adores.

Until one day while Adam leaves the patio door open of his second floor apartment room and one moment Stumpy’s there and the next—

“Stumpy?” Adam sets down his dinner plate. “You dumb cat.” He first searches through his room, just in case the cat’s nesting somewhere in his closet. Nothing. The apartment’s not all that big so where could he go? Then he remembers the open patio door. There’s nothing on the concrete padding and then Adam comes to conclude—

“Fuck!”

He races out of his apartment, only just remembering to grab his keys before racing down outside the building and looking out around the buildings and the small grassy patch that extends out from the building and down to the parking lot. It’s nighttime. Stumpy’s a black cat. This is not a good mix.

So Adam starts to panic a bit because he’s not good in stressful situations like these and this has _everything_ to do with his cat and his cat is all he has and—

“Adam? Adam Kovic is that you?”

It’s Elyse. Elyse the woman from the vet who talked to Adam like it was second nature to her. Elyse who cut through Adam’s panic and—wait, are they neighbours?

“Elyse? What are you doing here?”

“I live in the next building there.” She points to it and it’s not that far off. Adam didn’t realize. His thoughts run off from him for a moment, and she catches on. “What are you doing out this late hour?”

“Huh? Oh. Um. My cat. He, um, jumped from the balcony I think? And now I’m looking for him ‘cause it’s like almost Halloween and some people can be real douchebags to black cats and—“ Okay, he’s rambling, he’s stuttering, he’s spiralling out of control, and sweet, small Elyse cuts through it like it’s nothing.

“Adam, hey, Adam. I can help you, okay? I doubt he’d go far and he knows where he gets fed, so let’s just take a walk around.”

He nods, breathes through the panic, and falls in step with Elyse. They walk up alongside of the edge of the building and make their rounds.

“Wh-what are you doing out?” he asks, arms crossed over his chest.

“Took Benson out for a walk,” she says. “And then I remembered I had to take out the trash and next thing I know I’m helping out you? How long have you been living here?”

“Like … two years?”

“No way! I’ve been living here for a year already. I can’t believe we’ve only just bumped into each other.”

He finds himself smiling a little. The panic and stress recedes and along the way they eventually find a grumpy ball of black fur.

Adam sinks to his knees. “Hey, buddy,” he says. “C’mere.” He extends his arms, and Stumpy jumps into them willingly with a little chirp. He stands and looks to Elyse. “Thank you,” he says and he means it. He’s just not sure what he’s thankful for. What part of all this.

“Hey, it’s no problem,” she says. “Us single pet parents have to stick together.” She sees him off to his building for the night and he manages to say goodbye. That night while he’s in bed with Stumpy settled firmly on his chest, he hopes that he’ll see Elyse again. He likes her.

* * *

He sees Elyse again. He’s out jogging one morning—helps burn off excess energy—when he catches sight of her rollerblading down the street with Benson on a leash. She catches sight of him and waves, stumbles a bit, and he dashes over to help steady her.

“Thank you!” she says, grabbing onto his arms. “Still getting used to the whole rollerblades thing, but Benson seems to like it. Don’t you, buddy?” Benson only wags his tail in response.

Adam shrugs and flexes his hands after pulling away. “Least I could do,” he says.

“So what do you like to do other than look for cats in the middle of the night?”

“Wh-why do you ask?” There’s the nerves again. He’s going to screw this up. He always does. It never works out—

“I was just thinking that we should have more in common than just taking care of our pets. What are you are? Sports guy? Movie guy?”

“More like … video games?”

“Oh, cool! What’s got your fancy?”

“Got the newest Smash.”

“Oh yeah?”

He nods, decides to take a chance. “Would you like to come over?”

Elyse smiles and nods and adds, “I’d love to,” in a soft and sweet tone.

“Is it okay if I bring Benson? He’s not good on his own.” She reaches down to stroke his head.

“Of course,” he says.

* * *

It’s been a long time since he’s had anyone over, and Adam enters a cleaning frenzy as soon as he gets home. “You need to be good,” he tell Stumpy after he shoves him from the couch so he can at least deep clean a little for cat fur. “And don’t attack the dog, okay?”

Stumpy only blinks at him before slinking down the hallway slowly.

Game night goes well in Adam’s opinion. He hasn’t been this social in years, and there’s no panic for once. No worrying if Elyse thinks of him negatively or if he’s doing anything that annoys her. None of that and it’s nice.

He’s not exactly sure what to call this thing between them, but he can only hope that it continues on down this path.


End file.
